Just came across an article in Wired about a young do-it-yourselfer, named Lepht Anonym (pictured above), who has been implanting "tiny magnets and other electronic devices under her own skin, allowing her to feel electromagnetic fields, or — if her latest project works — even magnetic north."
Wired has dubbed her breed "DIY Transhumanists", and states "they are on the fringe of a movement that itself lies well outside the mainstream of philosophy, ethics, technology and science." Others call them body hackers.
I found this great video of a lecture where journalist Quinn Larson talks in detail about body hacking, what she's done to enhance her own body and how it's affected her life. This being a public blog, please read her warnings carefully before viewing.
Can these dangerously curious people be called Transhumanists? Wired says they can because they are doing more than theorizing; they are actually experimenting. But there are scientists who have indeed experimented by implanting themselves with much more advanced technology. Kevin Warwick is the first example I can think of, and it's a doozy at the least.
I'm going to guess that a big part of the lure of this DIY Transhumanist behavior is more than just hacking the body. I think a big part of the lure is the pain involved fueled first by curiosity. Perhaps that lure will save us from completely losing our humanity as biotechnology progresses over the next century.
